I own both blog and forum for my new ecommerce platform, but I ask myself, how relevant is a blog, due to it's 1 way flow. Unlike the forum, where it's pretty easy for people to comment, feedback, complain, and in fact create their own topics. I am thinking I should scrap the blog, as I can easily post images and videos, and contents on the forum. What do you think? Oh.. I should add the forum is on xenforo and the blog is on wordpress.
Both blog and forums may help you in your e-commerce platform. Because people have different methods in online marketing. If you use both, it is sure that its easy for you to build link. But still its up to you what you comfortably use.
Forums take a lot more work because they require moderation and a lot of effort in the beginning to get it going. So it's good if you're willing to put in the time to build it up. Otherwise, stick with a blog.
If I am going to the site for the first time, I'll probably check the blog and not go to the forum. If I am a frequent visitor of a website, might end up using forum as well. If you were to choose one, I'd say blog ...
I would say blog, is the best way, it lessens time and i would not say it would less effort, compared to forum, blog is easier, for forum it require days to go, to build a link, without any violation.
Blog for sure, especially with some of the newest google updates. Its not easy to get users to use a forum unless the site gets very popular, its really only good for FAQs in many cases.
As per my opinion you should optimize both blog and forum on your eCommerce platform. Blogging is best way to share useful content with your visitors whereas forum is place to communicate with your clients' or visitors' and resolve their issue. Forum is just a question answer platform where your can make discussion with your users (it doesn't mean that you wont be able to share useful content there on forum). But blogging is totally information sharing platform. In simple word you should continue both forum and blog.
What's your core service? Are you additional services relevant or engaging? A forum for a standalone product is usually a desolate place. A blog may be very useful, if you can actually deliver new and interesting information. If not, it's just dead space, that distracts from the main product. Want an actual example of a useful blog? Moz.com (formerly SeoMOZ.org) have a blog that's probably more popular than its SEO tools. It creates the drive to use its product, but you can read it even if you don't, in fact I'd guess most SEOmoz readers don't use their tools, just look for SEO tips and tricks. Good luck.
compared to blog forum is effective,if you create thread and make participation for your niche your brand will get popular but in blog we cannot discuss as much possible in forum.